Luggage case



March 27, 1934. w w z 1,952,699

LUGGAGE CASE Filed Dec. 1, 1932 '2 Sheets-Sheet 1 March 27, 1934. w w -rz 1,952,699

LUGGAGE CASE Filed Dec. 1, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 9 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY) Patented Mar. 27, 1934 iJNi'iEl) s'ra'rss LUGGAGE CASE William Wintz, Oshkosh, Wis, assignor to Oshkosh Trunks, Inc., Oshkosh, Wis, a corporation of Wisconsin Application December 1,1932, Serial No. 645,185

9 Claims.

This invention relates to portable wardrobe luggage cases of the hand carried type.

The main object of my invention is to provide an improved and novel form of garment carrying frame or element whereby the garments may be readily and easily applied to and be removed from the frame, and moreover, when packed on the frame, be held or supported thereby in the case without being wrinkled or creased by reason of 10 their folded form over the outer end of the frame.

Another object of my invention is to provide the frame with an extensible section whereby the support afforded by the frame for the garments may be continuedbeyond the case to facilitate holding the garments for removal from the frame and also laying them on the frame when packing it, as well as keeping the outer portions of the garments, where they hang over the frame, out

. of contact with the adjacent wall of the case which may become soiled in the use of the case and out of contact with any sharp projections which may be presented by the handle connections and locking fixtures or other hardware on said wall.

A further object of my invention is to make the frame extensible by having it comprise slidably connected inner and outer sections, the outer section being attached to the case so that the inner section may be slid into and out of the outer section in extending and collapsing the frame.

A further object of my invention is to have the bars by which the garments are attached to the frame engageable with the extensible section so that the bars will be drawn out with that section on extending it.

A further object of. the invention is to have a space between the frame sections where they are slidably connected so that the attaching means for the bars may fit over the inner frame without hindering the sliding movement of the sections relatively to each other.

The invention consists further in the matters hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. l is a vertical sectional view taken through the case in open position, the garment carrying frame being shown in dotted lines in raised position in the lid or cover section of the case, and in full lines in lowered position over the body of the case and extended beyond the front wall of the same;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Figs. 3 and 4 are vertical sectional views taken on lines 3-3 and 4--4, respectively, of Fig. 2;

I bent intermediate its ends to provide the recess Fig. 5 is a perspective view illustrating the manner in which the inner and outer sections of the garment carrying frame are slidably connected;

Fig. 6 is a perspective of a detail of construction to be hereinafter described;

Fig. '7 is a front view of the frame with garments thereon raised into the lid of the case; and Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing a detail of construction embodied in the frame.

As shown in the drawings, the case to which my invention is applicable is of the box type having hingedly-connected, rigid body and lid or cover sections 1, 2. The hinge connection 3 between the sections is at the rear of the case, being along the upper edge of the rear wall 4 of the body section. The cover 2 when closed fits against the upper edge of the body section over a collar 5 secured in the body section adjacent its upper edges and extending across the joint between the sections.

An upright partition 6 may be arranged in the body section 1 adjacent its rear wall 4 to prevent thearticles packed in the body section from pressing against the tail ends of the garments extending into the body section at the rear thereof from the garment carrying element to be presently referred to. The partition by interengaging slides and channels on the partition and body section, respectively, may be removably mounted in the body section and may be provided on one or both sides with article-carrying pockets '7 as indicated in Fig. 2.

The garment carrying element 8 is designed to fit within the cover 2 and occupy the greater portion thereof. Said element is in the form of an open frame having slidably connected inner and outer sections. The outer section is pivotally mounted in the cover 2 adjacent the hinged connection between the cover and the body of the case so that the frame may be swung into and out of the cover without releasing the frame therefrom.

The outer section of the frame has a pair of side arms 9, 9 substantially equal in length and connected at their inner ends by a cross-bar 10. U-shape connectors 11, 11 are turnably mounted on the opposite ends of this bar on the outer sides of the arms and are insertible in vertical recesses 12 provided by bracket fixtures 13, 13 secured in the cover 2 on its side walls as shown in Figs. 2 and 7. These fixtures, as shown in Fig. 6, each comprise inner and outer plates disposed in overlapping relation with the outer plate referred to. To releasably hold the connectors in the brackets, the latter at their oifset portions each have an inwardly pressed part forming a boss 14 to engage in an aperture or hole 15 in the tongue of the connector as shown in Fig. 3.

The inner section of the frame has a pair of side arms 16, 16 of the same length and connected at their opposite ends by cross-members 17, 18. The cross-member 17, which is at the inner end of the section, is preferably integral with the side arms, these parts of the section being made from a single metal strip or bar of the desired size. The cross-member 18 is preferably of wood or other non-metallic material and is secured to the section by screws 19 inserted through extensions 20, 20 from the outer ends of the side arms as shown in Fig. 8. These extensions are integral with the side arms and lie in a groove 21 on the inner side of the cross-member 18. The latter has a rounded contour so that the garments draped over the same in the use of the frame will not be creased. Disc-like guards 22, 22 of sheet metal are secured to the opposite ends of the member 18 to prevent endwise displacement of the garments therefrom. These guards have apertures through which the extensions 20 pass, the side arms 16 being on the outersides of the guards.

The slidable connection between the two sec tions of the frame comprises channels on the side arms of one section and slides for the channels on the side arms of the other section. In the form shown in the drawings, the channels are on the side arms 9 of the outersection and the slides 23,

23 are on the side arms 16 of the inner section. The side arms '9 being formed from sheet metal, may be bent to the desired channel shape as shown in Fig. 4. As there illustrated, the channelsopen along the inside of the frame, and the side arms 16 of the inner section are spaced inward from the channels by spacers 24 on the rivets or fasteners 25 which connect the arms 16 with the slides. The inner section of the frame fits within the outer section when the two are collapsed, or slide one into the other, which is the relation-of the parts when swung into the cover or lid 2 of the case. The inward movement of the inner frame section is stopped by the contact of the bars 10 and 17 at the inner ends of the sections. The extension of the inner section beyond the outer section is stopped by the slides 23 contacting with pins or lugs 26 carried by the side arms of the outer section adjacent the outer ends thereof, as shown in Fig. 2.

The frame is provided with a number of garmerit attachingrods or bars 27, 27. These bars are completely removable from the frame and each is long enough to extend across '01 span the space between the side arms 16 of the tensible section of the frame. The bars are preferably made of wood or other non-metallic materialto be light in weight, and each bar is provided at its ends with metal clips 28, 28 whicextend beyond the adjacent ends of the bars so as to fit over the upper edges of the side 16, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4. The clips have flanges 29 which snap over the arms, the outward spacing of the arms from the channels permitting this to be done as indicated in Fig. 4,

and also permitting the inner section to he slid into and out of the outer section with the bars '27 thereon.

Inwardly extending flanges 30 are provided on the side arms 9 of the outer section to overlie the upper edges of the side arms 16 of the inner section when the sections are collapsed or telescoped one within the other. These flanges are preferably integrally connected with the side arms 9 and are spaced sufficiently above the inner section to permit the clips 28 on the ends of the bars 27 to pass beneath them as the sections are collapsed. With the flanges overlapping the clips, the bars 27 are maintained on the inner section and cannot become dislodged therefrom when the sections are collapsed. The flanges extend along the arms 9 for the greater portion of the length thereof, and thus provide holding means for the bars in their distributed relation along the length of the frame. When the inner section is extended, the bars 2'? are carried clear of the flanges 30, and thus may be readily and easily removed from and applied to the inner section (see Fig. 2). As shown in Fig. 4, the spacing between the flange and its associated frame arm 16 need only be sufficient to accommodate the thickness of the clip 28, due to the fact that the bar 27 terminates short of the frame arms and thus may beset inside of the same.

To pack the case, the frame is swung into lowered position over the top of the body section 1 and is drawn out or extended to project beyond the front wall id of the case, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. This is accomplished by sliding the inner section of the frame outward until stopped by the stops 26. The frame is supported in its lowered position by resting on the upper edge of the collar 5 where the frame crosses it at the front of the case. The bars 27, being carried by the extensible section of the frame, will be drawn out with that section. These bars are removed from the extensible section and the garments to be packed on the frame are looped or draped over them, whereupon the bars with garments thereon are returned to the frame. Ordinarily a separate bar is used for each garment, but when the garments are thin and light in weight one or more of the same may be applied to a bar. The loops in the garments about the bars are indicated at a, a in Fig. l. The garments drape themselves over the cross-bar 18, and as this bar is beyond the front wall of the case, the garments do not contact therewith to be soiled therebyl After all of the garments have been attached to the extended section of the frame, the latter is swung upward about its pivotal connection with the lid 2 until the lower or free ends of the garments are clear of the case, whereupon the inner section of the frame is allowed to slide inward until stopped by the bar 10, whereupon the frame may be swung into the lid 2. The folded portions of the garments on the now outer side of the frame are allowed to extend into the body of the case to the rear of the partition as at b in Fig. 1. The collapsed fra .e with garments thereon is now fastened in the lid by elastic tapes 31 or any other convenient means of retention, as for instance, a curtain. These tapes are fixed at one end to the lid, the other ends having hooks 32 to be engaged with metal loops .33 carried by the lid, as shown in Fig. 7. The tapes extend across the garments on the now outer side of the frame and are ar- I ranged adjacent the upper and lower edges of the lid so as to hold the garments on the frame and the latter in the lid.

After the frame has been packed and fastened in the lid, the latter may be closed against the body section of the case and be locked thereto by the key and bolt locking devices on the front wall of the case.

To unpack the frame, either to remove all or one or more of the garments therefrom, the frame is lowered and extended beyond the case as before.

upon it is removed.

The uppermost garments are removed first until the particular garment desired is reached, there- The others may be replaced on the frame, and the latter be swung back into the lid and fastened therein by the tapes.

With separate bars 27 for the various garments, the garments may be individually'attached to the frame, and moreover, the points of connection of the garments with the frame may be distributed along the length of the frame to avoid any undue mass or bulk of material at any one point along the frame to require more space than permitted by the usually shallow lid or cover as used for cases of the type herein described. Furthermore, with the bars engageable with and supported by the extensible section of the frame, the bars will be drawn out with that section when extended and thus bring them free of the flanges 30 for removal from the frame. In extending the frame, the support afforded thereby is continued beyond the case, and the outer portions of the garments where they hang over the bar 18 are out of contact with the front wall of the case, which is likely to be soiled from the use of the case, and moreover, cannot be torn or injured by any sharp projections which may be presented by the locking and handle supporting hardware on said front wall. The bars 27 are reduced between their ends to provide enlarged head portions to which the clips are attached and also to prevent the garments looped over the bars from shifting or slipping over the ends of the same to interfere with the clips being applied to the frame or to be torn or caught between the clips and the frame when applying the bars thereto.

The details of construction and arrangement of parts shown and described may be variously changed and modified without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, except as pointed out in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A hand carried luggage case, comprising a body and a cover hingedly connected at the rear of the case, and a garment carrying frame pivotally mounted its inner end in he case adjacent the hinge connection between the body and the cover, said frame consisting of i'elescopically connected sections permitting the frame to be collapsed to fit within the case and to be extended to project beyond the front of the case when in lowered position over the body of the same.

2. A hand carried luggage case, comprising a body and a cover hingedly connected at the rear of the case, and a garment carrying frame pivotally mounted at its inner end in the case adjacent the hinge connection between the body and the cover said frame consisting of telescopically connected sections permitting the frame to be collapsed to fit within the case and to be extended to project beyond the front of the case when in lowered position over the body of the same, and stop means to limit the extensibility of the frame.

3. A hand carried luggage case, comprising a body and a cover hingedly connected at the rear of the case, a garment carrying frame pivctally mounted at its inner end in the case adjacent the hinge connection between the body and the cover, said frame consisting of telescopically connected sections permitting the frame to be collapsed to fit within the case and to be extended to project beyond the front of the case when in lowered position over the same, and

means forconnecting garments to the frame, said means being .engageable with the extensible section of the frame and movable therewith in collapsing and extending the frame.

4. A hand carried luggage case, comprising a body and a cover hingedly connected at the rear of the case, a garment carrying frame consisting of' lidably connecte inner and outer sections, the latter being pivotally mounted at its inner end in the case adjacent the hinge connection between the body and the cover, the inner section being extensible with respect. to the outer section to project the frame beyond the front of the case when in lowered position over the body of the same, garment attaching bars engageable with the inner section over an edge thereof, and flanges on the outer section to overlie the bars to maintain them on the inner section when the sections are in collapsed relation.

5. A hand carried luggage case, comprising a body and a cover hingedly connected at the rear of the case, a garment carrying frame consisting of slidably connected inner and outer sections, the latter being pivoted at its inner end in the case adjacent the hinge connection between the body and the cover, the inner section being extensible with res set to the outer section to project the frame beyond the front of the case when in lowered position over the body of the same, garment attaching bars having clips at their ends engageable over an edge of the inner section for connecting the bars thereto, and flanges on the outer section to overlie said clips for holding the bars on the inner section when in collapsed relation with the outer section, said flanges being confined within the length of the outer section to free the bars for release from the inner section when extended beyond the outer section.

6. A hand carried luggage case, comprising a body and a cover hingedly connected at the rear of the case, a garment carrying frame consisting of slidably connected inner and outer sections, the latter being pivotally mounted at its inner end in the case adjacent the hinge connection between the body and the cover, the inner section being extensible with respect to the outer section for projecting the frame beyond the front of the case when in lowered position over the body of the same, garment attaching bars engageable with the inner section and movable therewith into and out of collapsed relation with the outer section, and means spacing the sections so that the bars may engage over the inner section without hindering the relative sliding movement of said sections.

7. A hand carried luggage case, comprising a body and a cover hingedly connected at the rear of the case, a garment carrying frame pivotally mounted at its inner end in the case adjacent the hinge connection between the body and the cover, said frame consisting of inner and outer sections, the outer section being substantially U-shaped in form and provided with channels along its sides, slides attached to the sides of the inner section and fitting in the channels on the outer section for slidably connecting the sections together, means for attaching garments to the sides of the inner section, and a cross-bar at the outer end of the inner section to support the garments in folded form thereover.

8. A hand carried luggage case, comprising ingedly connected body and cover members, a garment carrying frame pivotally mounted in the case adjacent the hinge connection between said members, said frame consisting of telescopically connected sections permitting the frame to be collapsed to fit within the case and to be extended to project beyond the portion of the case opposite the hinge connection between its members when the frame is in lowered position over the body member thereof, and means for attaching garments to the extensible section of the frame.

9. A hand carried luggage case, comprising hingedly connected body and cover members, a garment carrying frame pivotally mounted in the case adjacent the hinge connection between said WILLIAM WINTZ. 

